Students Flourish and Tutors Wither: A Study of Participant Experiences in a First-Year Online Unit (original) (raw)

2017, The Australian Universities' review

Flexibility is a key word in the contemporary higher education system in Australia. Flexible and diverse entry and exit points, as well as flexible forms of recognising learning, open up the possibility of attaining a university degree for students ‘...hitherto largely excluded from university attendance’ (Birrell & Edwards, 2009, p. 8). Flexible modes of course delivery centring on online learning allow a further widening of access to university studies for students unable or unwilling to travel to and from campus (Norton, 2014), often due to location, employment and/or family commitments, or for medical reasons. An increase in university enrolments of ‘nontraditional’ students, particularly those classified as mature-age, regional or remote, low socio-economic status or with disabilities, has been one result. At the same time, government funding for higher education has been tightened and regulatory pressures have increased, requiring universities to adopt flexible workplace model...

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